Enjoy Science Week in Laois & Offaly!

Published: 5th November 2013

Science Week 2013 will be asking us all to ‘Explore the XTRA-Ordinary’ from the 10th – 17th November 2013. From the water that comes out of our taps, to the grass that grows in our fields, to our body’s ability to run and play sports – there are XTRA-Ordinary processes happening behind all of the scenes around us.

Events taking place in Laois for Science Week include:

Star-gazing in Stradbally – join the Midlands Astronomy Club and Laois Heritage Office for an evening of exploring X-tra terrestrials, with talks on stargazing, practical demonstrations of telescopes and (weather permitting!) some star-gazing on the Green. We might even get some views of the Comet ISON! The free event starts in Stradbally Library at 8pm on Saturday 16th November and all are welcome.

Mountmellick Library will host a fascinating talk on How Your Brain Works, by leading neuro-scientist Deborah Saucier of the University of Ontario, at 11am on November 12th.

The Curious Experiments Exhibition will run in the Dunamaise Arts Centre daily from Tuesday November 12th to Saturday November 16th - this is the result of a competition run by the Marsh Library, which encouraged students to re-create experiments that were first advertised in 1743 in Dublin. The students have filmed their adventures in the history of science and their work will be on display in the Dunamaise. Also on show at the same venue will be a series of short films on the theme of science.

Several Portlaoise Primary Schools have a treat in store at Portlaoise Library on November 13th as they are invited to become scientists for the day, for a hands-on fun workshop of experimenting with “Scientastic”.

A visit by the ever popular Reptile Village Zoo to Timahoe National School will also take place during Science Week.

There is a range of events around Offaly as well, see details on www.scienceweek.ie. One that may interest you in particular is on in the library in Birr (a building worth visiting in its own right) at 7pm on Thursday 14th November – Tales of the Unexpected will feature multi award-winning broadcaster and journalist Jonathan McCrea from Newstalk's Futureproof and RTE 1's The Science Squad for a unique audiovisual experience as he introduces some of the best science stories from the world of animation, radio and television. The will be followed by an interactive Q&A session on science in the media.

This evening is aimed at a general audience, but may be of particular interest to members of the media who wish to enhance their understanding of science communications and also those involved in science and technology businesses and public engagement who wish to enhance their communications of the stories behind their work.

In either case, you’ll learn a bit more at this evening about been science media savvy and you’ll get to enjoy some amazing short movies and radio clips that will make you think about how important science is in our society. Details and booking (free – but booking required ) on http://sciencetalk-eorg.eventbrite.com/